Familiar Places

Posted on 27 Jul 2018 @ 1:31pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Kai Mazen & Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

2,982 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: USS Galileo-A, Sickbay
Timeline: MD139/0900hrs

ON:

With mobilization in full swing, Kai couldn't afford to keep banker's hours. It was 0900hrs give or take, and he'd been at work for two hours. He was due his entrance physical, but he wanted to give the medical staff a moment to settle in before he bothered them. Figuring he'd given them enough time, he arrived in Sickbay. Normally he'd just take the first doctor, NP, PA-C, or IDC that happened to be available, but he wanted to talk to the CMO anyway, so he asked if she was in, and a corpsman informed him she was in her office. Kai thanked the corpsman and, finding the office, he rapped his knuckles on the hatch.

"Doctor Warraquim?" he said.

Allyndra looked up. The man that the voice belonged to was a specimen of fitness but while he did not look too old you could see the way he carried himself that there was experience in his stance and in his hazel eyes.

"Yes, how can I help you and please it is just Allyndra. Warraquim is actually my Guild House name." She waved to the chair across from her. When new people came aboard she liked to have a chance to get to know them rather than a scan and done thing. "Help yourself to the replicator." She waved a delicate hand toward the device.

There was no two ways about it, the CMO was gorgeous. Fortunately, Allyndra wasn't the first gorgeous woman Kai had worked with, professionally or otherwise, so he didn't make too much of an ass out of himself.

"I will, thank you, Ma'am," Kai said, flashing Allyndra a smile as he entered her office. He went to the replicator to order himself a sweet green iced tea. "I mean, thank you Allyndra. Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Kai Mazen. You can call me Kai, if you'd like. It's a true pleasure to meet you. Can I get you anything while I'm over here?"

"No, thank you, chief," Allyndra remembered that high rank enlisted deserved their title. In many respects she had learned they had earned their rank the hard way. She waited while he got his tea and took a seat.

"I will tell you that most of the time I prefer informality. I know there are times that it is needed but I grew up in a very formal culture and it is nice to shed that bit for awhile and it also to my thinking allows me to get to know a person without all that other formality in the way. So, Kai," she looked to make sure that what he said was alright for her to use. "Hospital Corpsman you said, but I do not suspect that you are part of my staff."

"No, Ma'am," Kai replied. "I'm the new Chief of the Boat. However, I would like to pick up shifts here now and again to keep my hand in the game. As an Independent Duty Corpsman I can serve as medical support on Away Teams, do exams, order tests, diagnose, even treat on my own, but when there's an MD aboard I always run my cases by them. I've had the training to do field surgery when I was in the Raider Regiment, and to do several kinds of procedures in the absence of an MD in the regular fleet. I've done surgery in the field in emergencies, but on a ship or base with a surgeon, I usually just assist...unless there's some kind of emergency and no one else is available. I've worked hard to learn the skills I've got and I'd like to keep them fresh. So if I could help out around here, even just a half shift or two a week, that would be great."

"Indeed, and of course you are most welcome to keep up skills. I will set aside a bit of schedule so that you can take a rotation through sickbay. I find there is nothing like hands on. Now as to surgery, Tuula is basically our resident surgical specialist. You might find her a bit over the top but she is good at what she does. I am sure she might find emergency field surgery to be fascinating in turn. Now if that is acceptable I would like to get to know the new COB a bit more than cough, scan and done."

Kai laughed. He liked the doctor's sense of humor, even if it was a little dry.

"The whole bend over and cough bit is not my favorite part of the exam," Kai said. "I'd like to get to know you as well. Anything in particular you'd like to know about?"

"Just what you feel comfortable with. Hopes, dreams, what you like to do, how you see yourself fitting onto the ship." Allyndra thought for a moment more and then said, "well let me go first."

"I am Akkadian, there are not many of us off world. We are not Federation members just an allied world. We have eschewed most high technology and kept pretty much to ourselves. Changes in the politics of the galaxy has prompted the Council that oversees our world to think about reaching out. As for myself, I am trying to find balance in my life. I was married at one time but lost my husband and none of my Ktareth...children, survived. That is one aspect. The other is that I have become Guild Mother, the head of my Guild. However after being out here, I find that being home does not offer quite the same challenges but when I am here I find I miss home. As I said, looking for balance. Hopes are to see Akkadia move a bit to reclaim a bit of the technology and yet balance it with the calmness that now the planet has.
Now as to what I like to do, well most things, but if I had to pick it is something we call water dancing. One uses ones wings to hover just so that one's feet touch the water and then dance. It is a challenge of what we call wind and wave to judge and balance the changes in wind and wave."

"That's fascinating," Kai said. "The dance must be something to behold. Well, I'm Human, and I was born and raised on Alpha Centauri in the capitol city. My parents are academics. My mother is a tenured full professor of English at Alpha Centauri University, and my dad is the head librarian. They both hoped I'd go to ACU or another university, but that wasn't for me, which was strange. You see, I learn very quickly, so quickly that I had to be home schooled because my classes moved too slow for me. That gave me time to spend studying things like Hapkido, and Earth martial art, while still being able to wrestle for middle school first, then high school. That was a lot of fun. But, like I was saying, university life didn't appeal to me. I wanted to get off planet and see the galaxy, and the Federation was at war with the Cardassians in a conflict known as the Cardassian Border Wars, because it was mainly a fight over where the borders between our two territories were. So I enlisted. I've served as a Corpsman with the Marines in the infantry, as well as a SAARC...that 'Special Amphibious/Aerospace Reconnaissance Corpsman, through the Cardassian Border Wars, the Federation-Klingon War, and the Dominion War. Mostly for a change of pace, at that point I went through Independent Duty Corpsman school and worked as an IDC on starships and starbases until I came here. I continued my study of Hapkido after joining the Fleet and I'm a 9th Dan black belt, which is as high as you can go unless you start your own style. I'm a huge fan of Earth Jazz and Jazz Fusion and Blues and Funk and Andorian Blues, all of which are better live. Live theatre is also a love of mine. I did a little in middle school and high school, and I've developed a taste for it. Something about never being absolutely sure what's going to happen, that feeling in the air that even as a member of the audience, I'm part of something special, a show that is only happening that night and that will never happen exactly the same way again. As for hopes, dreams, and how I think I'll fit in here..."

Kai looked thoughtful a moment.

"I was married briefly, and I've got two grown children," he said. "As well as some young grandchildren and I'd like to live to see them all grown and happy and maintain a relationship with them. I work hard at that, communicating with them over subspace, visiting, exchanging letters. Professionally...well, I've just embarked on this next step on my career path, moving from Medical to Command. At this point I'm just seeing where it takes me and trying to make the most of it. I seem to be fitting in pretty well so far, but we'll see what happens after launch and after we've all been together in cramped quarters for a while."

Allyndra listened while he spoke. She could not help but put her professional cap on a little and it struck her that he was quite suited for the job. What was it the Terran's said, 'Head on straight'. She smiled a bit as she remembered the first time she had heard the term and took it a bit literally.

"Sounds like you are well adjusted. We all do not know how a long voyage will affect us after a point but the crew that was on the old Galileo endured quite a bit and still mostly came through. Perhaps later you might be able to teach me a few things for martial arts. I am afraid we are not much for that, hollow bones and all do not make for much for fighters. I did beat a Klingon girl back in Academy though once. She got upset and challenged me and we went outside for a fight. I asked if I could use any personal skill and she replied yes. So I simply flew up where she could not reach me and then dropped a rock on her head. Put her rear right on the ground, but afterward we became very good friends."

Kai smiled at the image of the doctor dropping rocks on an angry Klingon warrior.

"Hey," he said. "Anything that results in you winning is fair in a hand to hand fight."

"More or less what she said after a fashion," Allyndra nodded smiling and remembering. She focused back on the here and now. "Is there anything you would like to ask me. About anything, the ship, the people, myself before we get to the scan?"

"How long have you been a physician?" Kai asked, rising from his chair. "We can scan and talk at the same time if you'd like."

"Very good, then come on out and let's get that started." Allyndra stood and waved a hand at the door to the sickbay proper. "More than ten years since I finished the Academy programme. I did do a brief stint on a colony as the counselor before taking over as chief medical officer."

Kai walked out into Sickbay.

"That reminds me," Kai said. "I have to go see the ship's head shrinker. Lieutenant ir-Llantrisant, right? What's he like?"

Allyndra nodded her chin toward a biobed closest to the office. "I think you will like him. He has helped keep my head on straight especially when I was Executive Officer on the Schofield. I know not a lot of help." She laughed that musical laugh.

Kai hopped up on the biobed and grinned.

"Well," he said. "If he can keep someone as obviously bat shit bananas as you are sane, then he must be good at his job! Just kidding, Doc. I'll look him up when I'm done here."

It had taken some time to get used to alien tastes and concepts such as teasing. However, she had come to learn some of that especially Terran type and she decided to tease back, well sort of. "Oh he is, but still has not cured me of drinking blood." She said it in such a matter of fact way.

Kai laughed.

"Well," he said, paraphrasing Sondheim. "Don't bother drinking my blood. I spent most of my career with the Marines. I taste of wherever I've been."

"Oh is that an invitation?" Allyndra replied she smiled but displayed the sharp inner teeth. "I love exotic." she sort of breathed that phrase while watching to see his reaction.

Kai grinned.

"Are you flirting with me, Doc?" he said. "Because if you are, I might just change my mind about vampires."

"OH?" Allyndra put the teeth back in place. "I thought to tease you back as the humans would say. I guess it did not work. I am surprised though, most would find those a bit scary. Colour me suitably impressed."

"Nerves of steel," Kai said. "Ice water in my veins. And whatever other sayings apply. Besides, the fangs work for you. So, the scan. Is everything where it's supposed to be? I mean, I have been knocked around quite a bit in my career. Is anything a little left or right or up or down or forward or back from where the anatomy charts say it should be?"

Kai was kidding, of course. He figured if she could pull his leg, it would be okay if he gave hers a tug or two.

Allyndra had not paid much attention to the scan but she did now. She looked at it and at a PaDD with his record and last scan. "There is some continued degradation in some of the joints. However, considering your experience that is not unexpected. I think we can get some of that settled with some medication and therapy. There is a small adhesion still in the upper right shoulder. That might limit a bit of mobility but I think we can correct that but that would require some surgical intervention. It is not serious and I will leave it up to you if you want to consider it."

Kai frowned a minute as he considered the doctor's report, before replying.

"I'll happily do therapy and, if you think there are some meds that might help my sore joints, I'll take them until the therapy does it's thing," he said. "But I don't really want to be on meds long term if I don't have to be. I exercise regularly, I eat right, I meditate and do other things to keep my mind sharp, all of which I do both because it's enjoyable and I want to hold off needing regular medications as long as possible. As for the adhesion, is the surgery going to require a long recovery? There's a lot of stuff that has to get done before we go. On the other hand, who knows what will happen when we're out there. If there's time and the recovery time won't limit me too much, do you think I could have it done before we leave? Maybe we could use the surgical facilities here at the shipyard if Galileo-A's sickbay isn't ready yet?"

"Oh I did not mean to make it all sound so serious. It is relatively minor in both aspects. I just wanted to let you know what I picked up on. You mentioned being a marine and I think that some of that is showing up. You have lots of decades left. The medications are just a quick couple of shots to stimulate the cartilage nothing long term. As far as the little bit of adhesion I think Tuula could do that in about five minutes and with good regeneration should be good as new in twenty four hours but I will leave any of that to your decision. As I said mostly just preventative.

"Nope," Kai said. "Don't worry about it at all. I do have a fair amount of joint pain and if you know some combination of a short course of meds and some physical therapy that could help, as I said, I'm all for it. I've reached that point in my life when my body is starting to show the wear and tear caused by what I put it through for so long. And the adhesion is starting to become a problem, so yeah, I'd love it if you guys could deal with that before we launch, I would really appreciate it."

"Alright, let me get the hypo and I will put in for Tuula to take a look at the other problem," she turned and got a couple of hypos ready. When they were done she tuned back and said, "Here we go, these should help and I will put into the computer the recommended theraptuic routine that you can do at your leisure on any of the holodecks since that will have a medical priority." She pressed the hypos around the elbows, shoulder and knee joints in turn. "Give it a day or so but should notice a bit better. Now then," she laid the hypos aside and picked up a PaDD. "You are officially medically cleared." Setting the PaDD down she extended a hand. "Welcome aboard Chief."

"Thanks, Doc," Kai said, hopping down off of the biobed. "I appreciate it. It was nice talking with you. If there's nothing else, though, I should really be on my way."

"Indeed, my pleasure as well." She nodded as he headed out.

OFF:
--

Master Chief Hospital Corpsman Kai Mazen
Chief of the Boat
USS Galileo

Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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